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Ruby's Birth Story: Part One

Ruby’s due date came and went. That week at work was odd, knowing I could go into labor at any time and that I was about to be out of the office for three months. It was Thursday, June 22, the day after her due date, that I woke up feeling different. I told my coworkers I’d come into the office a bit later to wrap up a few things. But nesting is so real, and instead of lying in bed a bit longer or enjoying a slow morning to myself, what did I do? Shampooed the carpets in our master bedroom and in the nursery. Yes, really. It was one thing on my “before baby” to-do list that just hadn’t gotten done yet, and something in me knew it would be my last chance for a while. How I had the energy to do so 40 weeks pregnant, I’ll never know.

I headed into the office just before lunch. It was soon after I sat down at my desk that I felt the first of what I’d later learn was my water starting to leak. I wasn’t having any contractions or pain, so I didn’t think much of it. I joined a couple friends up in the breakroom for lunch, and it happened again. It felt like a pretty good amount of fluid, so my heart started to race a bit. I played it cool, finished eating, walked back to my desk, and then told the team I was leaving to work from home the rest of the day.

Later that afternoon I decided to call my doctor. I should have known her answer before I even dialed the number – “How quickly can you get to the hospital? We’ll call Labor & Delivery and let them know you’re on your way.” I hung up. I stared at Bruiser, totally oblivious. The house was quiet, but I was buzzing with nerves, excitement and a million questions. Do I take my bag with me? Should I jump in the shower real quick? Any last work emails I need to send? I stood up from the couch, put Bruiser in his kennel, and got a little teary-eyed saying goodbye to him. What if this is the last time I leave the house pregnant? I grabbed my purse and walked out to the car, and in hindsight, I sure wish I’d eaten something!

I knew that Thomas was in the middle of a meeting at work, so I texted him and tried to be chill: “Don’t panic, don’t get up and leave your meeting or anything… but I’m going to go to the hospital and see if I’m leaking amniotic fluid. Okay?” No big deal.

Poor guy: “Are you sure? I can leave if I need to!”

I told him that by the time he got out of his meeting, I’d probably have a definitive answer, so just to sit tight until we knew more.

I never want to forget that drive to the hospital by myself, because as I was turning onto the main road of the hospital, Lauren Daigle’s song “Trust in You” came on the radio. I sang those lyrics, choking back tears as if I’d written the words myself. If I’d only known then what a comfort that song would be to me over the coming days. They laid the groundwork for a heart surrendered to God for the uncertainty ahead of us.

As I pulled into the L&D parking lot, I texted Thomas the “parking for expectant mothers” sign from my perspective in the driver’s seat. All of the triage rooms were occupied, so they went ahead and put me in a room. The nurse left me to change into a gown, and after doing so, I snapped a few photos of the room for memory’s sake, and to send to Thomas so he felt a part of the experience. The nurse took the test to check my fluid and said I was still at 2 cm and that it would take 20-30 minutes to get the results back. Then, around the time that Thomas was getting out of his work meeting, the nurse entered the room again and said, “well sweetheart, you’re staying!” I called Thomas to let him know and I could hear a lump form in his throat as he got emotional.

“Oh gosh, really?!”

He drove home from work, gathered both of our bags that were thankfully already packed – I even had left a list on top, days before, of the items we’d need to grab last minute.

“Babe. This is really happening!!” Thomas texted.

I answered back, “SO SURREAL!!!”

Then, “Babe. I’m going to be holding our baby girl in a matter of hours.” We were giddy. [It’s almost hard to think about now… Thomas wouldn’t hold her for more than a week, and it would be 10 days before she was in my arms.]

Before Thomas got to the hospital, I remember texting my doctor to let her know I’d been admitted. As luck would have it, Thursdays were her day off, but she quickly replied, “Alright, how exciting! I’ll be there!”

“You will?! But you’re off today!”

“Don’t worry about me! I wouldn’t miss it,” she texted back.

Thomas arrived, hauling in all of our belongings for the hospital stay. He looked like he was on cloud nine, and now that we were together, so was I.